The two Angel City stars sat down with GOAL to talk about playing with their idols, off-field life and everything in between
"Life is so much different than I would have ever dreamed of and, at such a young age, it's crazy to think about how things can happen so quickly."
If there's a sentence to describe the ongoing journey of the Thompson sisters, that's the one. It's all happened, and continues to happen, so quickly for two of the brightest young stars in American soccer.
Older sister Alyssa, the 19-year-old superstar-in-the-making whose reflection gave us our intro for this story, is one of the future faces of the U.S. women's national team, a player with a World Cup already on her resume. Younger sister Gisele, 18, is following right behind. She's already joined her sister at Angel City FC and is oh so close to making her own USWNT debut. Two sisters, two journeys, but both seemingly headed for the same place: the very top.
And, as Alyssa says, it's all happened rather quickly. Just two short years ago, the sisters broke onto the national scene by becoming the first two high school athletes to sign NIL deals with Nike. Now, with both still in their teenage years, both seem like seasoned veterans and feel the pressure to act like they are exactly that.
In their hearts, though, there are still some aspects of teenage life desperate to break through. There's the fun, the moments by the beach, the shopping trips with friends and family. Those moments are still there, of course, but there are new moments, new memories, being created every day, ones that the average teenagers their age can never even fathom. Those moments are coming alongside icons, idols, legends. Some of those legends are players that the two now call teammates, which is still a bit weird to both of them.
It's all happened so fast, as Alyssa says. There's been little time to adjust to it all. But, on the other side of it, this is the life they've been working for. Years and years of effort have gotten them here. It's going quickly, but this is also just the beginning.
"It's definitely hard when you're doing it alone," Alyssa Thompson tells GOAL, "but it's so much easier when my sister gets to do it with me."
Ahead of the 2024 NWSL season, GOAL sat down with Alyssa and Gisele Thompson to discuss their rise, their lives, and what makes them so much like, and so different from, just about everyone else their age…
Getty ImagesLessons from Alyssa's rookie year
At the time she essentially became the most expensive player in NWSL history, Alyssa Thompson was a senior in high school. Earlier in that senior year, she'd made her USWNT debut. By April, she was back with the USWNT and, in June, she was named to the World Cup squad as far and away the youngest member of a star-studded squad.
By the time 2023 was all said and done, Alyssa had gone from high schooler to superstar. She scored four goals in NWSL and earned seven more caps with the USWNT, taking her total to nine. And, while all of this was going on, Gisele was watching somewhat patiently, eagerly awaiting her own chance.
Before 2023 came to a close, the sisters officially became teammates again as Gisele signed with Angel City. It was a foregone conclusion, really. She had trained with the senior team before and was always seemingly destined to begin her professional career right alongside her sister.
"I was in preseason with them," Gisele tells GOAL, "so I kind of got the experience without actually being on the team. I learned that you always have to be on. You can have your off days, but always being at your best is important because everyone expects so much from you all the time.
"It is hard but also making friends off the field and having that positive environment around me has made it so much easier for me to be a professional. It is fast-paced, and they're all very physical, but I think playing with boys has helped us make it an easier transition into this game."
Gisele has a point. The Thompsons initially rose to prominence during their time in MLS NEXT, where they competed against some of the top boys in the country. That experience prepared them physically for what was to come, but jumping to the pro game is a different animal altogether. These are the best of the best. Physically but more so mentally, being a professional soccer player is very, very hard.
That was one of the lessons Alyssa tried to teach her younger sister from her own rookie season. It sounds a bit silly, a 19-year-old serving as the wise mentor, but, in this scenario, it works. It's what being an older sister is all about, after all.
" I think the thing that I needed to get adjusted to the most was just being a professional and just being in that environment," Alyssa tells GOAL. "And I told Gisele like, 'When you're professional, they expect you to be professional. It's not like, just because you're young or whatever, they'll give you some grace. Once you're in, you're in and I think Gisele has learned from that and I've told her that. You really have to be a professional."
Advertisement'They call me their teammate now!'
Some of the biggest tests of professionalism haven't come on the field, but rather off of it. Both Alyssa and Gisele have had moments where they've been just a little starstruck.
How couldn't you be? The two will have grown up watching and idolizing the likes of Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz. This past summer, Alyssa played alongside them at a World Cup. It was all a bit of a shock, and understandably so.
"I think my first or second camp is when I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm here right now with the people that I've watched since I was younger'. It's crazy to think that I was on a team with them," Alyssa says. "They called me their teammate! Being at the World Cup with them was so surreal and I couldn't believe that I was able to get to that point. I feel like I'm such a big fan of theirs and being able to just learn so much from them and grow as a player because they're there with me was really cool."
Gisele, not to be left behind, is on an Angel City team loaded with international stars, players like Christen Press, Amandine Henry and Sydney Leroux. She was also recently a member of the USWNT's Gold Cup squad as a guest for training, allowing her to rub shoulders with the best in the country ahead of her imminent international debut.
"I think being able to go to camp with them and just learn from them was such a great experience," she says. "It was very nerve-wracking because I've watched them play and I know it's a very tough environment because everyone expects a lot from you. Just having them all there and encouraging me was super helpful throughout the whole entire camp."
TOCAFollowing the Williams sisters
It's not just teammates that have left the two teenagers starstruck. Being in and around the USWNT introduces you to some of the best of the best of the soccer world, but the team's reputation also brings players into contact with celebrities from all walks of life. It doesn't hurt that the two play in LA, either, for a star-studded ownership group that includes Natalie Portman, Mia Hamm, Eva Longoria, Sophia Bush and Serena Williams.
And it was Williams that left Alyssa the most speechless the first time she encountered the tennis icon.
"I don't think she knew who I was, but when I met Serena Williams, I was like starstruck," she says with a laugh. "I've never been like that! I couldn't believe she was at our game and I was just like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm meeting her right now'! because we have looked up to her and Venus for so long. Just being able to see sisters do it at a high level like we want to be and be considered the best in the world. It was so cool to meet her."
Gisele, meanwhile, had her biggest fangirl moment when meeting another soccer superstar: Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rashford.
"He didn't know who I was, but just like being able to see him and be able to talk to him about just soccer. He was so young when he came through, too, so it was just so amazing. Looking up to him and watching him play made it even more incredible."
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TOCAStepping into the spotlight
Part of being in the spotlight is everything that comes with it: the sponsors, the pressure, the expectations. Those are weights on just about any professional athlete, even more so when those athletes aren't yet 20.
"It's obviously hard," Alyssa says, "but we have such an amazing team around us. Our family is our number one support system. Our agents have been super helpful with just being able to pick out brands and partners that we'll have longevity with. We are just super excited that we get to have these opportunities and super grateful that they're all coming our way."
Gisele adds: "Yeah, I also think it is really hard but like it's super fun, too. Having partnerships that we align with and use in our everyday lives makes it so much easier. It's also about having a balance with it, like not only soccer-related but also having other things outside of soccer is very helpful for us."
The sisters' latest partnership is close to their heart. The Thompsons recently partnered with TOCA, a tech-enabled soccer experiences company that features Harry Kane, Leah Williamson and Abby Wambach as ambassadors. The two sisters, who trained at TOCA during their youth careers, have signed a multiyear deal that also sees them become stakeholders in the company.
"It's amazing being able to partner with TOCA," Alyssa says. "We went there when we were like really young, like seven and eight, and I think it helped us so much and we had so much fun. The trainers were really, really excited for us to be there and really helpful with just making us better. I think it's amazing that we get to be named with these amazing people and such iconic legends. We're just super grateful and excited to be a part of it."